How You Can Give Back During This Holiday Season
As the holiday approaches, you and your family are more than excited to welcome this wonderful season with all the beautiful memories it brings. From connecting with distant family members and friends to treating yourself to dinner and a movie; holidays indeed come with indescribable fun moments.
Amid all the excitement, you're probably thinking about how to make an impact this season by giving back. Since the best path to complete happiness and fulfillment is putting a smile on other people's faces, you tend to feel there's no better time to do that then now. Particularly because despite the multitude of gifts shared during holidays, some people are unlikely to get even a flower.
So whether one is rich or earns only a decent income, we all can give back to society and spread love in our own little way. From donating your time to providing financial gifts, there's an endless list of things you can do.
To help you make the most of your time and resources, here are suggestion on how you can give back to your community during this holiday.
1. Spend time with people who have no families
There are so many things we take for granted in life, and one of them is having a family. No matter how boring or challenging your family may be, having one alone is a massive blessing that only people who do not have families can explain.
Year after year, people in nursing homes with no families partake in this season while feeling a great deal of loneliness. Visiting and sharing gifts with them this season can count as giving back and a huge contribution to societal development.
Seeing others smile because of your act of kindness will not only help them experience a different celebration, but it will equally give struggling individuals the perfect inspiration to help them carry along with their recovery journey.
2. Volunteer and be prepared to be flexible
One way to give back during the holiday season is by volunteering. If you can't work alone, you can Google up local nonprofits near you where you can volunteer.
Here are some volunteering ideas to try this Christmas season:
- Read books to less privileged kids
- Serve food at a local shelter
- Send Christmas cards to military personnel
- Bake cookies for first responders, such as the firefighters or medical professionals
- Do community service by donating hygienic items or removing trash from the neighborhood.
Of course, if you join a nonprofit, chances are that they'd need your hands on other days apart from Christmas and New Year. So it's best if you prepare to be flexible.
3. Organize food and toy drives
While we wine and dine our kids with the best foods and their collection of dream toys, some kids curl up in their homes, sad because they have no gifts. Organizing a neighborhood food and toy drive can be a great way to give back to the community and see these kids smile like other children their age.
Food and toy drives typically require a collaborative effort, so make sure to motivate your family, friends, and neighbors to join this splendid course. Let them realize how much difference they'd be making in the community by participating financially and physically to the happiness of other kids in society.
4. Donate money to charity
Most people love to commit their time to giving back because they realize money isn't everything. Unfortunately, it's often impossible to commit your time perfectly. For instance, you may have plans to invite a distant relative or organize a get-together with old friends, preventing you from donating your time during this holiday season.
Still, donating gifts and money to charity organizations can help you fill the gap. These organizations require financial support all year round to keep their acts of kindness going, so donating to them can be one of the easiest ways to give back.
With the money they receive, they are able to provide meals, childcare, job and interview preparation, group therapy, and a lot of other resources for thousands of people, year round. You'd indirectly be helping out with all these causes since your money is involved.
Some organizations you can donate to include:
World Central Kitchen (WCK)
You can also search for "charity organizations near me" on Google to see those closest to you.
Final words
The holiday spirit is all about giving. The best part about it is that you're not only making someone else happy; giving also makes you happier knowing you're impacting another life positively.
If you don't want to limit yourself to any predetermined form of assistance, you can give back through random acts of kindness. Walk around your town and you're bound to see someone that could use a little help.